Seventh-wicket pair ensure draw for KwaZulu-Natal

An unbroken seventh-wicket partnership of 107 between Goolam Bodi, who finished unbeaten on 70, and Errol Stewart (38), finally erased any possibility of a result in this match, taking KwaZulu-Natal to 252 for six, a lead of 222, with just 30 overs to be bowled on the last day.

That state of affairs prompted umpires Danny Becker and Satish Jivan to consult the players on the field and call off a distinctly unmemorable encounter, putting the sparse crowd out of their misery.

Stewart and Bodi's partnership eventually occupied 178 balls, although at times it was painful stuff. At one point, a seven-over spell yielded just six runs and it was only when the left-handed Bodi, who scored his maiden first-class century against Easterns earlier in the season, but had no half-centuries to his name before Sunday, started to accelerate later in the day that the rate reached respectability.

Before Stewart joined Bodi, the Strikers still had a chance of forcing a result, having reduced the visitors to 145 for six when Andrew Hall picked up his second scalp, that of Wade Wingfield, for a single, but the century partnership finally rendered all prospect of an exciting run-chase for the home side null and void.

The Strikers did themselves no favours by bowling as slowly as they did. Sixteen overs an hour is the required rate in the Supersport Shield, but by the time proceedings were halted, they had bowled just 82 in a minute over six hours, 14 short of the required tally, which means a hefty fine could be in the pipeline for the Strikers players.